Jazz-Rockets Preview

By MATT BECKERPosted Mar 19 2011 1:30PM

The Houston Rockets were written off early after starting the season terribly, but they're now making a strong push for the playoffs.

The Utah Jazz's postseason hopes appeared to be fading just a week ago, but the club has put that rough stretch behind it and seems to be finding its stride.

In a matchup of teams battling for the final Western Conference playoff spot, the Rockets look to win for the 11th time in 14 games Sunday night when they host the Jazz, who are seeking their third straight victory.

Houston (36-34) opened the season by dropping 10 of 13 and lost All-Star center Yao Ming for the year in the first month. The Rockets, though, have battled back to pull within one-half game of ninth-place Utah (36-33), which sits just behind eighth-place Memphis.

The Rockets have been especially good defensively of late during their 10-3 surge, allowing 82.7 points during a three-game winning streak - 21.0 fewer than their season average.

Houston earned one of its most impressive victories of the season Friday, allowing its lowest point total of 2010-11 in a 93-77 over Boston. Kevin Martin had a team-high 25 points while Kyle Lowry scored 20 and rookie Patrick Patterson - making his third straight start for the injured Luis Scola - added 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

"We were just terrific," coach Rick Adelman said. "That was about as good as we can play at both ends of the court."

The Rockets are 19-1 when limiting opponents to 96 or fewer points, but they may have trouble holding Utah to that mark.

The Jazz have reached 100 points in nine of 10 games and totaled 231 in winning their last two. Utah has won back-to-back games for the first time under coach Ty Corbin after losing 10 of the first 13.

"We're moving in the right direction," forward Andrei Kirilenko said after a 119-104 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday. "We have a lot of changes and right now we're getting used to each other and we're getting better and better each game."

It's going to be difficult for C.J. Miles to play much better than he did Wednesday.

Miles made his second straight start in place of Raja Bell and scored a career-high 40 points, going 14 of 18 from the field and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. He hit his first seven shots and had 18 points in the opening quarter and 25 by halftime - four shy of his previous high for an entire game.

"He did a tremendous job of executing the offense," Corbin said.

Utah appears poised to get another offensive boost Sunday, as starting power forward Paul Millsap is expected to return after sitting out the last five with left knee tendinitis.

Millsap, averaging 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, had 27 points and 10 boards in a 103-99 overtime win at Houston on Jan. 8.

The Rockets won the rematch in Salt Lake City 97-96 on Feb. 2, as Martin completed a three-point play with 6.9 seconds left.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Lowry's triple-double carries Rockets past Jazz

By CHRIS DUNCANPosted Mar 20 2011 10:59PM

HOUSTON (AP) Kyle Lowry was looking forward to a good night's sleep after the best game of his career and a draining week for the Houston Rockets.

Lowry had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Houston's first triple-double of the season, and the first of his career, and the Rockets moved past Utah in the Western Conference standings with a 110-108 victory over the Jazz on Sunday night.

Lowry set a career high in rebounds, and helped the Rockets inch closer to playoff contention in the Western Conference. Houston is now ninth in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Jazz and Phoenix and 1 1/2 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

"The intensity of that game was very competitive," Lowry said. "No one wanted to give in."

Houston has won four home games in the last seven days, and Rockets coach Rick Adelman is giving his team an off day on Monday.

"I can't wait," Lowry said. "I might sleep til 9:30 a.m. Every game has been tough for us - playing, practicing, playing, practicing. It gets to you after a little while, but it's been a good stretch for us."

Kevin Martin went 18 for 18 from the free throw line and scored 34 points, and rookie Patrick Patterson had 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for the Rockets.

Chase Budinger left in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle, and was wearing a walking boot after the game. Adelman said that could mean more playing time for Courtney Lee.

Paul Millsap, back after missing five games with left knee tendinitis, scored 35 points, and Al Jefferson had 17 points and 19 rebounds for Utah.

The Jazz have dropped seven of their last nine road games, but have another chance to gain ground in the West standings on Monday, when they face Memphis.

Millsap and Jefferson scored seven points apiece in the third quarter to help the Jazz rally from an early 12-point deficit to trail only 77-75.

Houston held the Jazz without a field goal for more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter, but Millsap's follow of his own miss with 4:43 left cut the Rockets' lead to 89-85.

"We made a lot of mistakes, and still had a chance to win," Jefferson said. "A lot of little mistakes cost us in the end."

The Rockets clung to the lead, and Lowry's spinning layup with 2:09 left made it 97-90. He was fouled on the play and converted the three-point play.

Lowry went 7 for 8 from the free throw line and 9 for 14 from the field, including three 3-pointers. The 6-foot point guard has scored in double figures in 12 straight games, and delivered at least eight assists in 21 this season.

"Kyle has been the guy that we've leaned on," Adelman said. "He's been our playmaker. He's just been terrific."

The Jazz pulled within three in the final minute, but Martin went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the last 25 seconds to preserve Houston's lead.

Devin Harris swished a straightaway 3-pointer with 9 seconds to go. Lowry then tacked on two more free throws with 7 seconds left to finally put it out of reach.

"It was a good, intense game," said Andrei Kirilenko, who scored 10 for Utah. "Houston was just more successful at the end."

The Rockets finished the first quarter with a 15-4 spurt to build a 30-19 lead.

Lowry started the run with a jumper from the wing and a 3-pointer from the corner. He stole the ball from Harris and found Martin in the corner for another 3-pointer.

Goran Dragic and Martin sank back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second quarter, and Houston led 46-34. The Rockets hit seven of their first 12 3-point attempts.

Kirilenko swished a 3-pointer and Millsap scored inside to help Utah close the gap just before halftime. Lowry sank his third 3 of the half in the last minute, and Houston led 55-47 at the break.

Houston led 63-55 in the third quarter, when Harris started a 10-2 Utah spurt with a 3-pointer. Millsap's three-point play tied it at 65-all.

Notes: Utah is 5-10 since Tyrone Corbin replaced Jerry Sloan as coach. ... Jefferson has 30 doubles-doubles this season. ... Martin finished a three-point play in the first quarter with his NBA-leading 500th free throw of the season. ... Luis Scola, back after missing five games with a sore left knee, had four points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. ... Adelman passed Red Auerbach and into ninth place in regular-season coaching victories (939).

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Jazz-Rockets notebook

By Matt Miller, for NBA.comPosted Sunday March 20, 2011 10:59PM

THE FACTS:Kyle Lowry posted his first career triple-double to lift the Houston Rockets to their fourth consecutive win, a 110-108 triumph over the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Toyota Center. Lowry finished with 28 points to go with 11 rebounds, 10 assists and only one turnover, while Kevin Martin added a team-high 34 points and sank all 18 of his free-throw attempts. Sunday's victory moves the Rockets (37-34) into ninth place in the Western Conference and within 1 1/2 games of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies.

Paul Millsap scored a game-high 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to pace Utah (36-34), which fell into a tie with the Phoenix Suns for 10th place in the West. Al Jefferson added a double-double of 17 points and 19 rebounds but shot just 7-for-23 from the field.

QUOTABLE: "He's our floor general. He's going to get whoever is in rhythm their shot. ... Right now he's playing great, not only from a statistical standpoint, but [also] from a leader standpoint."-- Rockets center Chuck Hayes on Lowry's stellar play since the All-Star break

THE STAT: Houston's 17-for-17 effort from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter may have been the difference in this contest, as the Rockets improved to 6-1 this season in games decided by two points or less.

TURNING POINT: Utah trailed 91-88 after Jefferson completed a three-point play, but Hayes, Martin and Lowry each sank well defended shots on Houston's next three possessions to push the Rockets' advantage to 98-90 with 2:09 remaining in the game.

QUOTABLE II: "We just made a lot of little mistakes that cost us. ... The whole night tonight I'm going to be thinking about the two free throws I missed and the one time I missed a rebound."-- Jefferson

HOT: Lowry found his outside range Sunday, finishing 9-for-14 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc. In addition to his scorching shooting, Lowry stayed active on the glass, created good looks at the basket for his teammates and collected three steals.

NOT:Luis Scola struggled mightily on the offensive end in his return from a strained left knee, scoring a season-low four points on 1-for-5 shooting and committing two turnovers. Scola was also saddled with foul trouble during the second half.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Jefferson posted his fourth consecutive double-double and No. 30 of the season, but Hayes made him work for it. Aside from the rough shooting performance, Jefferson's stat line of 17 points, 19 rebounds and four assists should please fantasy owners.

GOOD MOVE: Utah's training staff allowed Millsap to log 39 minutes in his return after missing five games with left knee tendinitis. The decision paid dividends, as Millsap taunted the Rockets with several mid-range jumpers (12-for-18 shooting), solid rebounding and savvy defensive plays (three blocks). Millsap's performance was especially impressive during the final period, when he scored 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers that kept his team within striking distance.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jazz forward Derrick Favors (eight points, four rebounds, one block) matched up against the Rockets' Patrick Patterson (14 points, career-high 13 rebounds, one block) throughout the game. Patterson played with more aggression around the basket, but Favors flashed the athleticism and skillset that made him the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

NOTABLE II: Sunday's win gives Houston the tiebreaker if these teams end the regular season as the only two clubs tied for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. ... Houston forward Chase Budinger was escorted to the locker room during the second quarter after spraining his left ankle. He did not return, and his status for Wednesday's game against Golden State is uncertain. ... Utah fell to 13-8 in games decided by six points or less. ... The Rockets improved to 15-6 when Lowry hands out at least eight assists. ... Martin's 18 free throws set an individual franchise record for most free throws made in a game without a miss.